The present invention relates to a fitting structure for a modular connector for fitting the modular connector to a vehicle panel for the purpose of supplying electric power to vehicle interior articles such as sun visors, vehicle room lamps, and so on when they are mounted on a roof trim to be integral therewith.
The vehicle sun visor has originally been a sun shading plate which is mounted inside the vehicle in order to cut off sunlight. However, due to recent increase of women drivers, there have appeared some sun visors which are provided with mirrors and lamps on sun visor bodies.
In such a sun visor, an electric wire for power supply is connected to a modular connector which is provided on a shaft for supporting the sun visor for conduction of electricity from a battery source to the lamps.
FIGS. 8A to 8C are sectional views showing respective steps of fitting such connector to the vehicle panel covered with the roof trim.
A connector 30 consists of a bracket 32 provided with a wire insertion tube 35, a lead-in electric wire 40a guided out from the wire insertion tube 35, and a joint connector (female type) 41a attached to the electric wire 40a.
On the other hand, a power supply electric wire 40b held between an inner panel 37 covered with a roof trim 36 and an outer panel 38 of the vehicle body is guided out through a fitting hole 37a formed in the inner panel 37, and a joint connector (male type) 41b is attached to an end of the electric wire 40b (FIG. 8A).
In the next step, the joint connector 41a and the joint connector 41b are mated, and the mated joint connectors 41a, 41b are inserted into a space between the inner panel 37 and the outer panel 38. Then, the bracket 32 is fitted to the fitting hole 37a in the inner panel 37 (FIG. 8B).
Thereafter, the bracket 32 is fixed to the inner panel 37 by means of screws or the like. The joint connectors 41a, 41b are positioned at an approximately middle part between the inner panel 37 and the outer panel 38 and brought into a mechanically and electrically stabilized state (FIG. 8C).
However, in fitting the above described connector 30 to the inner panel 37, the joint connector 41b on the vehicle side is once drawn out through the fitting hole 37a in the inner panel 37 to make a connection between the joint connectors 41a, 41b. For this reason, each of the electric wires 40a and 40b is provided with an excess length in addition to a determined length.
Accordingly, there has been a probability that the joint connectors 41a, 41b may be damaged by getting caught between the inner panel 37 and the outer panel 38, or the electric wires 40a, 40b may be bitten between the inner panel 37 or the outer panel 38 and the joint connectors 41a, 41b.
Further, considering that the joint connectors 41a, 41b are drawn out from the inner panel 37, the joint connectors 41a, 41b are provided with sufficient excess length.
For this reason, the joint connectors 41a, 41b become unstable, and there is an anxiety that the joint connectors 41a, 41b abutted against the inner panel 37 or the outer panel 38 may issue a strange noise or get damaged.
Furthermore, in case where the joint connectors 41a, 41b and the bracket 32 are separate bodies as in the related structure, connection of the connectors 41a, 41b and mount of the bracket 32 are individually conducted, and the work for fitting them becomes complicated.
Therefore, in order to eliminate such drawbacks, provided that an integral article is constructed by assembling the connectors 41a, 41b and the bracket 32 in advance, the fitting work will be extremely simple.
However, in case where the connectors 41a, 41b and the bracket 32 are molded as separate components in advance and thereafter assembled, there will be a probability that a backlash may occur between the connectors 41a, 41b and the bracket 32 due to influence of their molding precision and a strange noise may occur while the vehicle is running.